title: Lipid modification of the 15 kiloDalton major membrane immunogen of Treponema pallidum.
abstract: The 15 kiloDalton major membrane immunogen was included among the Treponema pallidum polypeptides selectively labelled with [3H]-palmitate. The cloned gene for this immunogen, tpp15, encoded a signal peptide of 17 amino acids, a consensus signal peptidase II cleavage site, and a mature protein of 124 amino acids (13,967 Daltons). As predicted by the DNA sequence, the recombinant 15 kiloDalton immunogen labelled selectively with [3H]-palmitate, and globomycin inhibited processing of the precursor to the mature polypeptide. While the native and recombinant immunogens are amphiphilic, the 15 kiloDalton immunogen synthesized in a cell-free system was hydrophilic. The covalent attachment of fatty acids appears to be responsible for the amphiphilicity of the immunogen and its membrane attachment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235.
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Purcell
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Swancutt
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Radolf
mesh_terms: D000215:Acylation; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002474:Cell-Free System; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D015151:Immunoblotting; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014170:Transformation, Genetic; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; C067191:major membrane immunogen, Treponema pallidum 15K